In your view, which brain region can be considered as a neural marker of a specific cognitive ability? That is to say, we can directly use this brain region as a measure of the ability.
This is an important question with respect to research hypotheses in neuroscience. It's important, because the answer is twofold. On the one hand, the brain appears to be divided in separate regions with specific functionalities (e.g. motor cortex, visual cortex, etc.). Today's phrenology, if you wish. Regarding cognitive abilities, most cortical regions have been located in the (pre-)frontal lobe. On the other hand, however, the brain does not appear to be as straightforward as that, showing that many functionalities reside as complex networks across multiple adjacent and distant cortical areas.
To come back to your question, no, I don't think you can choose one specific brain region for one specific cognitive ability, despite the fact that the (pre-)frontal lobe will most likely be involved. But think of it this way: there are potentially infinite amounts of cognitive abilities. If every ability was represented by one specific brain region, you would need an infinite amount of brain regions. This is not the case. Luckily, the brain found a solution that is much more efficient than that.
Cheers,
Wouter
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Neuroscience